Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer is doused with Tostitos after his team beat Florida State 23-16 to win the Fiesta Bowl and the national championship Monday, Jan. 4, 1999, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz
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Over on Haslam Field, the August phase of reversing Tennessee’s football fortunes is underway. Vol fans are encouraged that the new man in charge, Jeremy Pruitt, brings a strong defensive pedigree to the task.

Because Vol fans are weary of bad defense. And if they need a reminder of what a stout defense can do for a team, they will get it as the program celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 1998 national championship.

UT has designated the Sept. 22 Florida game to recognize the ’98 champs. But the honors surely won’t be limited to a single day.

Arkansas' Clint Stoerner fumbles the ball in the closing minutes of play against Tennessee on Nov. 14, 1998, turning the ball over in Knoxville. The Vols' Billy Ratliff (40) recovered and Tennessee won the game 28-24. The play preserved Tennessee's undefeated season and they went on to win the national championship.(Photo: DAVID GOTTSCHALK/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

There’s Dwayne Goodrich’s pick-six that turned out to be the difference in the BCS title win over Florida State.

Those are the three ’98 games most likely to pop up on, say, a Tennessee takeover of the SEC Network. For today, let’s revisit the defense’s contribution in several others.

The Vols’ offense didn’t bring its ‘A’ game to Auburn on Oct. 3. A 17-9 win included a Jamal Lewis touchdown and a Jeff Hall field goal. The rest was up to coordinator John Chavis’ defense.

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Former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis, shown in 2006, helped the Vols win a national championship in 1998. Fans hope new head coach Jeremy Pruitt can work some similar magic.(Photo: MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

The game scoreless, Corey Terry deflected an Auburn shovel pass, Shaun Ellis snatched the ball out of the air and rumbled 90 yards for a touchdown. More on Terry in a moment.

Even more impressive was a four-play goal-line stand from the 6-inch line after Auburn recovered a Tee Martin fumble on a sack. Best stand I’ve ever witnessed. That, after an earlier save when Derrick Edmonds recovered an Auburn fumble at the UT 1.

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Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin falls back to pass just before he was hit hard and taken out of the game against Auburn for a couple of plays.(Photo: Michael Patrick, Michael Patrick/News Sentinel)

And the game ended with Tennessee defenders batting down an Auburn pass into the end zone as time expired. All of the above with an injured Wilson in street clothes, cheering from the sideline.

The Bulldogs (4-0) were favored in a clash of top-10 teams. But Tennessee’s defense prevailed in a 22-3 win. The Vols forced four Georgia turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 59 yards rushing. The streak extended to 11 quarters without allowing a touchdown.

“The kids aren’t supposed to be that good,’’ head coach Phillip Fulmer said afterward, “but they don’t know that.’’

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Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer talked about the 1997 SEC title team on Friday
Mike Wilson/News Sentinel

By Nov. 21, maybe they did. The 10-0 Vols hosted Tim Couch and Kentucky’s Air Raid. A year earlier, Couch and the Wildcats had torched the Vols for 634 yards, most ever allowed by a Tennessee defense.

This was a 7-3 Kentucky team and Vol fans were anxious about a shootout. Sure enough, a Couch TD pass gave UK an early 7-6 lead. And then …

It was all Vols, 59-14. Couch was sacked six times and Kentucky was held to a season-low 376 yards. Five times, the Cats gambled on fourth down. They converted once.

On to Atlanta. The defense took another bow at the SEC championship game.

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Tennessee's Corey Terry (22) and Eric Westmoreland (42, under pile) take down Florida State running back Travis Minor (23) in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl national championship game Jan. 4, 1999.(Photo: Michael Patrick/News-Sentinel)

In a 24-14 UT win, Mississippi State’s only scores came on interception and punt returns. Protecting a late 17-14 lead, Terry knocked the ball loose from State’s quarterback and Eric Westmoreland recovered. One play later came a clinching TD pass by Martin. Next stop, Tempe.